Masala Lentil Stew

A few people have requested this stew.  I have no idea if there is a recipe out there that looks like this.  I wanted something with these ingredients, and I made this by just throwing things into my pressure cooker until it smelled the way I wanted it to.  Please let me know if this resembles a recipe.

I'm using brown lentils for this recipe; in the US, it's the most common lentil grown here.  Sometimes I use green lentils, but to keep this budget-friendly, I decided to stick with brown lentils. Sooji is more commonly known as cream of wheat here.  A teacher of mine recently told me that cream of wheat or cream of rice is sometimes used to thicken stews.  None of my Indian cookbooks has this as a technique listed.  But it is a French technique that I am familiar with.  So hopefully you enjoy this recipe!

Masala Lentil Stew

1 cup of masoor dal or brown lentils + 4 cups water

6 cloves of garlic, divided (4 whole, 2 minced)

1 green chili

1.5 inches of ginger

2 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 stalks of celery, chopped

pink salt and black pepper, ground, and to taste

1 tbsp garam masala

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp paprika

1 cup of sweet corn

2 tbsp dried cilantro

2-3 dried fenugreek leaves, crushed

1 pinch of hing

1/2 cup of sooji or Cream of Wheat

4 cups of vegetable broth

In my Ninja Foodie, I add the lentils and 4 cups of water.  I put on the pressure lid.  Select the pressure cook function on high.  Cook for 20 minutes.  In a mortar and pestle, make a paste with 4 cloves of garlic, the green chili, and the ginger.  Set aside.  When the lentils are done, remove them from the pot and set aside.  Over medium heat on the sear setting, add the oil, onion, carrots, celery, salt, pepper, garam masala, turmeric, cumin, and paprika.  Cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add your garlic and garlic paste and cook for 1-2 minutes more or until the raw garlic smell goes away.  Add the lentils, corn, cilantro, fenugreek leaves, hing, cream of wheat, and the vegetable broth, bring to a boil (you might need to turn the temperature up).  Cover with the pressure lid.  Using the steam setting, steam the stew for 15 minutes.  Serve with bread, rice, roasted vegetables, or whatever you like.

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A home is a place where a pot of fresh soup simmers on the hob, filling the kitchen with soft aromas... and filling your heart, and later your stomach, with joy.

 - Keith Floyd